Rogue Belador: Belador book 7 (36 page)

Chapter 37

Treoir Island in a hidden realm above the Irish Sea

Tzader had been teleported many times, but not this fast and in a way that felt as if they were flying.

The Fae evidently enjoyed hyperspeed. His feet touched the ground, and all sensation of the teleporting disappeared just as quickly.

Swinging around, he caught himself before he thanked Caron.

Fae rules were strange.

Evalle sent him a quick telepathic message, which he shared with Caron. “Mattie needs to know that Oskar is safe at Evalle and Storm’s home. Rowan can reach Evalle when Mattie is ready to have him returned.” Or Trey could get to Oskar if Tzader, Evalle, and Storm didn’t survive this, but he was past the point of worst-case scenarios.

Before Caron could respond, Tzader quickly added, “Trey will take care of anything Mattie needs.” He held up his hand when Caron started to argue, no doubt ready to read him the riot act over how she needed no help from those who ranked below her on the power scale. “The white witches are friends of ours and Trey is married to one. He’ll have Beladors running security so that you and Mattie can take care of those ladies without dealing with any issues.”

Caron’s bottom lip pushed up against her top one in a thoughtful expression. “I accept the security. Good luck.”

She winked out of view.

Tzader turned to take in his location. They’d landed within a sparsely wooded area just in sight of the castle. He thought he’d chosen the cleared lawn beyond the trees that ran the length of a football field to the castle.

For all her abrupt personality, Caron had clearly guided them to what she must have deemed a superior location where they wouldn’t immediately be seen.

But Macha would know the minute they came into this realm.

In fact, Tzader was surprised she hadn’t appeared next to him yet.

It was too much to wish that Quinn could have dragged Macha into the Tribunal, too, but Quinn had amazed Tzader with his impressive litigation skills many times in the past. Drawing Macha away from Treoir at this moment would top all his other feats combined.

Evalle asked Tzader, “Can Adrianna use her majik here? Storm was warned not to shift here without Macha’s approval or he’d burst into flames.”

“Ah, shit.” Tzader turned to Adrianna and Daegan as she started to lift her hands. “Wait.”

Daegan shouted, “What?”

Tzader repeated Evalle’s question.

Daegan said, “Adrianna and I are safe from any backlash in this realm.”

I hope that damn dragon is as good as his boasting
. Tzader said, “Then get to it.”

A circle of fire burst up from the ground, surrounding Adrianna and the dragon throne.

Evalle, Storm, and Tristan spread apart to take protective stances at the outer edges of the ten-foot-wide, blazing circle. The narrow flames rose two feet, as though they were shooting up from individual wicks stuck in the ground.

Adrianna raised her hands just as she had before and her lips moved, but Tzader couldn’t hear a word she was saying.

She lowered her hands with one palm facing up. The glowing Witchlock orb started the size of a marble this time, constantly rolling in place as it grew as big as a grapefruit. Adrianna seemed to talk faster and faster and with more intensity now. Her neck muscles strained and her face showed the effort of whatever she was attempting.

She was executing Mother Mattie’s instructions.

If Adrianna had a heart attack, Tzader wasn’t sure any of them could cross that fire to reach her, because he was pretty sure she had the dragon throne locked inside a ward.

White light raced around and around the orb, which now hovered above her hand.

Storm watched Adrianna with a doubtful gaze when he wasn’t keeping surveillance on their surroundings.

Tristan had his arms crossed, peeking at Adrianna between worried looks he cast toward the castle.

Evalle’s attention was just as divided, but she had no poker face. Her eyes were shiny with hope that mirrored the gut-wrenching longing Tzader harbored in his heart.

All at once, the white light spinning around the orb lassoed Daegan. The circle of flames turned fiery red and flared higher.

The throne wobbled, jerking back and forth. Parts bulged and bent, jerking in and out in sickening ways.

Daegan opened his dragon snout and sucked in hard.

The curved outline of flames shot into the air and swept around Adrianna then into Daegan’s mouth. It seemed as if that went on forever, but it took only seconds until every flame had vanished and the dragon jaws clamped shut.

Adrianna had been watching Daegan closely. Her eyes bloomed with fear. She backed up and took off running, right past Tzader as she shouted, “
Move!”

The others scattered, and Tzader started backpedaling as the throne expanded and bulged, growing larger. The gold of the throne began to change color, turning from glowing metallic to maroon. Steam poured from it as the metal took on a leathery texture and muscles began to buckle and shift. Bones snapped with the loud crack of two-foot-thick trees breaking. The odd-shaped conglomeration curved backwards, straining and shaking with the effort to break free.

Scales formed over the leathery skin in a rapid layering pattern.

They gleamed iridescently at first, but as Daegan moved, light caught the scales, turning them all a brilliant red just like the one Brina had held.

Tzader’s heart tried to claw its way to freedom.

Macha had not made an appearance, but Brina hadn’t shown her face either.

If he’d lost Brina ... all the vengeance in the world wouldn’t bring light back into his life.

The mangled shape at the top of the still-forming dragon had to be Daegan’s head, which dropped back as he appeared to stare at the sky. His body expanded faster, straining and shaking.

His jaws opened, and fire belched fifty feet into the air, sounding like a rocket engine. With a roar that raised chills across Tzader’s skin, Daegan’s reptilian-looking wings whipped away from his body.

When it was all done, the dragon stood fifteen feet tall, with a wingspan capable of carrying all that weight.

“Damn.” Tzader hadn’t allowed himself to believe they could do this, not until this very moment.

Shouts came from the direction of the castle.

Tzader stepped around to see Belador soldiers pouring out. “They should have known the minute we arrived.”

Adrianna had returned and informed him, “I kept all of this shielded until Daegan exploded it.”

Seeing the castle guards running with Belador speed toward them, Tzader sighed. He wasn’t done. He looked over his shoulder at the fierce dragon arched above him. “Daegan? Can you understand me in that form?”

Dipping his giant head down to eye level with Tzader, Daegan spoke in a deep baritone. “Yes. Now you shall learn the truths you’ve never known.”

“Ceartas said that,” Tzader said.

“I know.”

Tzader replayed the meetings with Ceartas in his mind and said, “Why was—”

“Do you want to save Brina or not?”

A hundred soldiers flooded the trees, surrounding them. The first ten stepped into the clearing, swords drawn, all following that damn Allyn.

Tzader stepped between them and Daegan. “I am Tzader Burke, former Belador Maistir. Allyn is not your leader. This dragon is here to aid your warrior queen. Do not harm him, or you will all pay for that mistake with your lives.”

In the next second, Evalle and Storm stepped up on his right. Tristan and Adrianna lined up on his left. He felt their solidarity, and was damn glad he had this hardheaded bunch on his side.

Tzader had so seldom asked anyone for anything, but Ceartas had said he couldn’t win wars alone. That crazy warrior was right.

It took the support of people willing to put their lives on the line for what they believed.

These four, and Quinn, had risked everything for him. Even Trey had stuck his neck out.

And Tzader would do no less in protecting them.

Allyn stepped forward. “You are no longer a Maistir, Tzader Burke. You were banished from Treoir. Now you dare to return uninvited and bring this ...
beast
with you? You have committed treason.”

Evalle quipped, “Awww, now you’ve gone and hurt the dragon’s feelings.”

Daegan snorted at that.

Tzader wanted to strangle Allyn, but getting through these soldiers to reach Brina came first above all else. He was still a Belador, and these men were doing their duty. He did not want to harm any of them.

Daegan’s commanding voice filled the air. “I will not forget how the five of you put your lives at risk for mine, but now I need you to move aside. Leave these Beladors to me.”

Murmurs of awe and whispered questions came from the group of castle guards when they heard Daegan speak. Tzader sighed. This was all going to blow up before they got to Brina, but he’d come this far and had no choice but to back the dragon now.

He nodded at the other four, who moved reluctantly, then he stepped aside.

Allyn raised his sword, looking like a child pointing a toothpick at a snarling Rottweiler. “I will defend this castle, my queen, and my goddess with my life.”

Daegan crooked his head, eyeing Allyn like someone would consider a tasty morsel at a party. “That’s an enticing offer, because I haven’t taken a life for two thousand years, and find I’m in terrible need of spilling some blood,” the dragon warned in a frightening voice. Anger swirled in his silver eyes. The black diamond pupils narrowed. “I will allow you one chance to redeem yourself at this slight, Allyn, and you should take it. I’m not known for showing mercy.”

Tzader had been watching both of them and noticed Allyn’s sword shook almost as much as his knees.

Daegan ordered, “Stand down until you have a reason to defend anyone or anything. If you make a move before I give you permission, I will destroy you. Keep in mind that my dragon fire is not precise. You’ll likely kill the ten closest to you as well.”

The dragon’s head was probably fifty feet from Allyn, but who knew how far that torch could actually reach?

Allyn had enough sense to look confused and think a moment.

No confusion with the other guards. They shuffled backwards, putting distance between them and the dragon.

Daegan raised his head and called out, “I command you to present yourself to me, Brina of Treoir.”

No one could call her that way except Macha.

Tzader started to explain so the dragon wouldn’t lose his shit when she didn’t show, but ... there she was, shimmering into solid form right in front of Daegan.

And wearing her finest gown. Tzader had seen a painting of her mother wearing that gown—on her wedding day.

Allyn made a move toward Brina.

Daegan growled and the ground shook.

Tzader stood frozen at Daegan’s side. “Brina?”

She turned to him, her eyes glassy.

No one home.

He swallowed, refusing to accept that he was too late.
Please let the dragon bring Brina back
. Macha could strike Tzader down when she found out what he’d done, but he was not leaving Brina like this.

If this didn’t work ... he’d lose any hope of ever seeing Brina again. Macha would not be so kind as to dump him back in the human realm. She’d send him somewhere he’d spend eternity alone, with only his thoughts of how he’d failed Brina.

He’d go willingly if that would save her.

Brina gazed up at the dragon, struggling with what she saw. “Who are you?”

Daegan addressed everyone, but kept his voice quiet. “I’m going to return to my human form. Those of you who think I’m vulnerable while shifting, think again. Brina and the group who stand with me are under my protection. If you dare to approach me or harm any one of my people, you’ll die screaming, and death will be slow to embrace you.”

In a swirl of flashing red, Daegan shrank all that mass to a six-foot-four man wearing a white shirt, leather vest, pants, and boots. A man Tzader had seen before.

Now that he looked more closely at the tattoo on Daegan’s bicep, he realized it was the tail of a dragon.

Tzader struggled to force out one word. “
Ceartas
?”

Daegan’s smirk said it all, but still he confirmed, “Another name I have been called in my life.”

Tzader’s thoughts raced around, trying to figure out where to start and where to end. He caught a glimpse of Adrianna, which knocked him back to the moment, reminding him what Daegan had to do next. He asked Daegan in a whisper, “Do you need to know the special whammy Adrianna used to break your curse for curing Brina?”

“I am only reversing a Noirre spell now, not breaking a curse placed on
me
by an immortal who has lived far longer than she deserves. I know what to do. No more talking.” Daegan now stood twenty feet from Brina.